With the 2024 renewal of the Grand National set to take place at Aintree Racecourse on April 13, one horse is at the forefront of the heated discussions amongst pundits and racing enthusiasts alike — Corach Rambler.
The 10-year-old won the prestigious race 12 months ago and is expected to make a bold bid to retain his crown when he ascends upon the hallowed turf of the Merseyside track again this year — a feat just a handful of horses have achieved, the most recent being Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019.
Once as far out as 11/1 to win the contest back-to-back, Corach Rambler has been backed into the 9/2 favourite in the Aintree betting Grand National — with a recent third-place finish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup reaffirming his chances with punters.
The Grand National is notoriously difficult to predict and anything can happen over the gruelling four miles, two-and-a-half-furlongs, and 30 testing fences. However, Corach Rambler has successfully navigated the challenges before. So, let’s look at his victory last year.
The Race
After winning the Ultima Handicap Chase at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, beating Fastorslow by a neck in a thrilling finish to the three-mile, one-furlong Premier Handicap, Corach Rambler entered the Grand National as the 8/1 favourite.
The then nine-year-old was in touch with the leaders in the opening stages of the race and was disputing 10th around a third of the way through the contest before dropping back to midfield by the omitted 17th fence.
Corach Rambler started making steady headway from the 25th obstacle and went third behind The Big Dog and Mister Coffey two out before taking the lead from the latter at the last.
The Lucinda Russell-trained horse was shaken up by jockey Derek Fox and went clear of the rest of the chasing field approaching the elbow.
Gavin Cromwell’s Vanillier was 12 lengths down at the last but was now mounting a challenge and was closing in on an idling Corach Rambler.
However, the favourite in the Aintree betting was always doing enough to hold off the late bid from the grey horse and won the Grand National by a rather comfortable two-and-a-quarter-lengths from Vanillier.
It was a second victory in the historic race for Russell and her trusty stable jockey Fox after their success with One For Arthur in 2017.
Post-Race
With One For Arthur sadly dying just weeks before the Grand National, an emotional Russell said after the race: “I spread some of Arthur’s ashes by the winning post just now. He changed my life, and with Corach, it gave me confidence.
“It has been really emotional. I felt a bit sorry for Anthony Bromley, who was sitting next to me, because when the tapes went up, I just started crying, which is pathetic.
“But it’s just the release of emotion, of producing a horse for the day, and kind of what One For Arthur taught us was how to get a horse right just for the day.
“All the emotion of doing that, Derek had been injured, we had a problem with a shoe. When the tapes go up, that’s when the emotion starts.”